Process of welding manganese steels



Patented Sept. 14, 1943 PROCESS OF VgErLDING MANGANESE EELS Raymond L. Morrison, Buflalo, N. Y., assignor to Morrison Railway Supply Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.. a corporation of New York No Drawing. Original application April 25, 1940, Serial No. 331,675, now Patent No. 2,310,308,

dated February 9, 1943.

Divided and this application September 12, 1942, Serial No. 458,143

8 Claims.

steel that great difficulty has been encountered in the production of welds which were free from cracks and which were coherent and which at the same time adhered tenaciously to the work piece.

Therefore, the general object of the present invention is to produce a weld upon manganese steel which possesses the properties of hardness, toughness, and resistance to wear which was possessed by the original steel.

Another object of the invention is to produce welds upon manganese steel which are free from checks and cracks and which are coherent and adhere tenaciously to the manganese steel, and which are therefore resistant to shock.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a, welding process which will give greater latitude in the conditions under which are welding may be conducted.

It is a specific object of the invention to provide a process for welding manganese steel in a more economical and efficient manner than can be accomplished at the present time. Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

According to the present invention, manganese steel is welded by use of a steel welding rod having an austenitic structure and containing copper'by striking an are between the manganese steel and the welding rod to deposit molten metal from the rod on the steel, and peening the deposited metal before it has cooled to a temperature below 750 F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks. The welding rod used in the process comprises Manganese, from 5 to preferably 11 to 14% Copper, from 1 to 5%, preferably 3 to 5% Carbon, from 0.1 to 2%, preferably 0.9 to 2% Silicon, from 0.1 to 2%, preferably 0.6 to 0.9%

Preferably the welding rodcontains up to 0.2%

of nickel or cobalt, and optionally up to 20% chromium, preferably less than 3% chromium.

The welding rods which I have found suitable for use in the present process in welding or rebuilding manganese steel is a manganese steel alloy rod having an austenitic structure and containing copper and preferably also containing nickel, but less nickel than copper. In particular, a rod containing chromium as well as copper and nickel (in addition to the iron, carbon and silicon) is particularly efficacious for forming tough, hard and resistant welds on manganese steel.

By way of illustration but not by way of limiting the invention, the following will be given as examples of welding rods suitable for use in the process of the invention (in parts per 100) Examples I II III IV V Manganesc ll. 0 12.0 13. 5 14.0 14.0 Copper l. 5 2. 5 3. 3 3. 5 5.0 Silicom. 0. 6 0. 6 0. 9 Carbon 0. 9 0. 9 0.9 .9 9 Nickel- -l 0. 1 0.15 0.2 02 Chromium c 0 Ferrous metal. Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance sess a certain degree of ductility. Manganese steel welding rods containing, for example, nickel from 3% to 5%, but no copper give efiicient welds but the weld metal has so little ductility that the welding process is rendered diflicult. For instance, with such manganese-nickel alloy rods great care must be exercised to peen the deposited metal promptly so that the length of bead which can be welded is limited. It has now been discovered that the presence of copper in the weld ing rods causes the metal to flow at a lower temperature during welding, imparts to the deposited metal a high ductility and thus permits greater latitude in the welding procedure and in the time and conditions of peening the deposited metal. Moreover, the copper-containing weld metal shows a finer grain structure and shows a higher resistance to continued alternating stresses. The use of the copper enables one to eliminate or greatly reduce the amount of nickel used without reducing the amount of carbon and manganese. The decrease in the amount of nickel greatly re duces the cost of the welding rod. On the other hand, it has been found that the presence of a small amount, for example, up to 0.2% nickel or cobalt functions to increase the solubility of the copper in the steel and makes it possible to expend the limits of both carbon and manganese in both directions while imparting a great hardness and toughness to the weld metal. The nickel or cobalt enables the weld to be toughened in air, reduces the brittleness and retards crystallization. The silicon protects the manganese from oxidizing in the air during the welding operation. The carbon contributes to the toughness and peen hardness and renders the weld capable of being machined, as by grinding.

The present method of welding may be used for welding manganese steel to itself or for building up worn portions of manganese steels which have been subjected to particularly hard wear and attrition and which have lost their original shape and size, or which are cracked and shattered, and which require additions of metal thereto so that the original contour and continuous surface of the piece may be restored. The invention is particularly adapted for rebuilding railway frogs and crossings which are made of manganese steel containing from about 11% to 14% manganese, together with carbon, silicon and other alloying ingredients although the invention i not limited to welding manganese steel of any particular composition.

In welding, rebuilding or depositing metal from the welding rod of the invention, the surface upon which the rod metal is to be deposited should be free of oil or rust. On worn manganese steel, the worn metal is removed by grinding or chipping to expose the virgin metal and the surface brushed with a wire brush.

The work piece or the steel to be welded is connected to a source of electric current so that the work piece is negative and a second connection is fixed on the welding rod having an austenitic structureand containing copper so that the rod is positive, and an arc struck between the work piece and the rod. Therod melts away and deposits molten metal upon the work piece which is heated locally without general fusion. After deposition of a portion of the rod upon the work piece, the deposited metal is preferably subjected to impact pressure while still hot, that is, while at a temperature above 750 F. preferably above 1000 F. If peened at lower temperatures, the metal is not sufliciently malleable to give a satisfactory weld. A peening or impact operation immediately after deposition of metal equivalent to about one-half the length of the usual welding rod produces a more completely adherent mass without the formation of checks and cracks than when the deposited metal has not been subjected to such peening operation. In the preferred embodiment, the peening is begun at the colder end of the deposited bead of metal, and proceeds toward the hotter end until the entire head is peened. Further additions of the welding rod are made to the work piece and these deposited portions are in turn subjected to the peening operation until sufficient metal has been added to the piece to make it conform to the original size and shape.

The finished weld may be left as peened or in the case of rebuilt rails, frogs and crossings, the welded surface may be machined of! to the desired size and contour by grinding. P lishing, and the like.

While the welding process of the invention is particularly adapted for rebuilding worn rails, frogs and crossings of manganese steel, it is also adapted for welding manganese to itself and for rebuilding, repairing various articles formed in whole or in part of manganese steel, such for example, as worn dipper teeth, bucket lips, tool points, press plates, well-drilling bits, conveyor parts, crushing rolls, grinding devices, and the like. The welding process may be used also for building up carbon steel pieces, such, for example, as carbon steel railway frogs and switchpolnts, to give a wearing surface of manganese steel.

Among the advantages of the present inven tion in the art of welding manganese steel is that the presence of the copper in the welding rod enables the welding process to be carried out at lower temperatures than with the present nickel-containing manganese steel rods, thus reducing the chances that the manganese steel work piece will be accidentally overheated during welding. Further, since the copper-containlng steel rod metal is more ductile than the nickel rod'heretofore used, the metal may be peened at slightly lower temperatures than heretofore used, thus facilitating the welding operation and-decreasing the speed with which the welding must be accomplished. The use of the present process ismore economical, faster but requires less skill than processes of welding manganese steel with welding rods heretofore known.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A processofwelding manganese steel comprising striking an are between said manganese steel and a manganese steel welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese'from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1 to 2%, silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron, depositing molten metal fmm said rod on said steel and peening the deposited metal before it has cooled to a temperature below 750 F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks therein.

2. A process of welding manganese steel comprising striking an are between said manganese steel and a manganese steel welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1 to 2%, silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron, depositing molten metal from said rod on said steel and peening the deposited metal at a temperature above1000 F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks therein.

3. A process of welding manganese steel comprising striking an are between said manganese steel and a manganese steel welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1 to 2%, silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron, depositing molten metal from said rod on said steel and peening the deposited metalat a temperature above 1000" F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks therein.

4. A process of welding manganese steel comprising striking an are between said manganese steel and a steel alloy welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese from to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1

to 2%, silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron, depositing molten metal from said rod on said steel and peening the deposited 1 metal at a temperature above 750 F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks therein.

5. A process of welding manganese steel comprising striking an are between said manganese steel and manganese steel alloy welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1 to 2%, silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron, depositing an elongated bead of molten metal from said rod on said steel and peening the deposited metal at a temperature above 1000 F. beginning at the colder end of the bead and working toward the hotter end thereof. t

6-. The process of rebuliding a worn work piece of manganese steel which comprises removing the checked portion of the piece to expose unaltered steel, and thereafter depositing metal upon the unaltered steel from a steel welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1 to 2%, silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron, upon said piece by connecting' the piece and the rod to opposite terminals of an electric circuit and striking an are between said piece and said rod for depositing metal upon said piece, the amount of the metal deposited being less than required to complete the weld, maintaining the deposited metal at a temperature above 1000 F. while subjecting the deposited metal to impact to prevent formation of checks and cracks, and repeating the succession of steps of depositing metal and peening th deposit while at a temperature above 1000 F. until the required amount of metal has been deposited.

7. A process of welding manganese steel comprising striking an are between the manganese steel and a welding rod comprising v anganese from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, arbon from 0.1 to 2% and silicon from 0.1 to 2% and the balance essentially iron to deposit molten metal from the rod on the steel, and peening the deposited metal before it has cooled to a temperature below 750 F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks in the welded metal.

8. A process of welding manganese steel comprising striking an are between the manganese steel and a welding rod having an austenitic structure and comprising manganese from 5 to 20%, copper from 1 to 5%, carbon from 0.1 to 2% and silicon from 0.1 to 2% and not more than 0.2% of nickel and the balance essentially iron to deposit molten metal from the rod on the steel, and peening the deposited metal before it has cooled to a temperature below 750 F. to prevent the formation of checks and cracks in the welded metal.

RAYMOND L. MORRISON. 

